In today’s digitally savvy world, social media has become an essential part of our lives. We use social media platforms for everything- connecting with friends, doing business, sharing news. Social networking is here to stay in our lives for long. So, why not leverage it with the online teaching process to enhance your e-learning course?
The role of social media in e-learning
Social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram have brought people closer despite the physical distances. In the current years, the use of social media is becoming popular in the education industry. It allows the learners to connect with the instructors outside the formal learning zone, create peer groups who can discuss and share their opinions about the courses, share their ideas, and even discuss content and other activities. Teachers also make use of social media to share their materials, promote their courses, learning practices and follow up on the feedback of the learners. It is a quick way to connect with the teachers, ask questions and clear doubts.
What is the importance of social media in e-learning?
Almost every learner uses at least one social media platform. These students know the hows and whys of social media and are accustomed to consuming information that is provided online. So, making use of these platforms to promote your course, the education app that you use to teach will surely attract new learners.
Many instructors make groups on these platforms like Facebook to connect with their students outside formal classes and share ideas, assignments and conduct polls and quizzes. This makes learning interesting for the students and optimizes the use of their free time.
Here are the reasons why social media is important in e-learning:
A sense of community and belongingness
When people connect with like-minded people, it creates a sense of belongingness. A Facebook or a WhatsApp group creates a community where students will know their peers and share their thoughts and ideas. It also helps the teacher to know about the needs of their students and make their courses and teaching approach better.
In the absence of face-to-face communication with their peers, students might feel demotivated and lack enthusiasm; a group where all the peers can stay in touch with each other would be motivating and encouraging to the learners.
Easy accessibility
Social media is easily accessible. It can be accessed from a laptop, smartphone, PC or tablet. This makes it convenient for the teachers to respond to the queries of students without having to log in through a specific platform.
The fastest way to share crucial information
Social media is the fastest way to connect with people or share important pieces of information. Suppose you are coming up with a new course, or there are some changes in the class timing and you need to inform your audience or learners, all you will have to do is create a Facebook or an Instagram post and it will reach all of your student withing minutes. You can also use the live features of the app to connect with your students.
Let us look at the most widely used social media and how it can be leveraged in eLearning:
- An open or closed group can be created wherein you can share assignments, course content, class timing and any other update.
- You can also create a page where you can give updates about your courses, progress, etc.
- You can conduct Facebook contests.
- Reels are the new trend. You make create reels about the courses you teach to attract a large group of audience.
- You can create a page specifically meant for your course-related updates and crucial announcements.
Youtube
- You can create high-quality videos and share them with your students.
- Youtube allows you to share your videos almost anywhere. You can share your videos links on Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram etc.
Social media can be the best companion for your e-courses when used in the right way.